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Patented Dec. 14,1880.

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, Apparatus for Bleaching Fruit, 8:0. No. 235,589.

- Patented Dec. 14,1880.

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NPETERS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAFHEFL WASIHINGTON. D. c.

UNETE STATES ATENT @rriee.

OSCAR F. TIFFANY, OF BUFFALO, NE\V YORK.

APPARATUS FOR BLEACHI NG FRUIT, 86C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 235,589,'dated December 14, 1880,

Application filed October 20, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatjd, OSCAR F. TIFFANY, a citizen of the United; States, residing in the city of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements intBleaching-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a safe and efficient machine for bleaching fruit or other materials, and to prevent the escape of unhealthy gases into the work-room during the operation of feeding the material to be bleached into the machine or removingit therefrom and it consists of a suitable bleachingreceptacle provided with a chamber for holding the bleaching material, and an apartment for receiving and holding the bleaching-gas during the operation of bleaching or releasing it, or a portion of it, while the completed or bleached material is being taken out, so as to prevent the gas from escaping into the workroom during such operation, a damper or valve being connected therewith for controlling it.

My invention further consists in the combination of two or more swinging dampers or curtains with the inlet-openings for admitting the material to be bleached, and a divided flue for the escape of the surplus gas to and up the smoke-pipe, all of which will be more clearly hereinafter shown by reference to the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section through line X X, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a front elevation and Fig. trepresents a horizontal section through line Z Z, Figs. 1 and 3, just above the boxes, for holding the material to be bleached.

A representslthe side of the machine; B, windows, of glass or other transparent material, arranged on opposite sides, for admitting sufficient light to enable the operator to see when the boxes are filled with the material to be bleached, which is put in through the openings G. D is the apartment where the sulphur or other equivalent bleaching material is placed. E is a door leading thereto. When sulphur or other material which requires to be burned is used, a shield, F, is employed to protect the wood-work from the flames.

G represents the boxes for holding the material to be bleached. They are provided with bottoms composed of thin slats or strips of wood 9, set a short distance apart, so as to leave openings for the bleachin g-gas to pass up through. A perforated bottom would answer a similar mrpose. I have shown fourof the boxes G, made to slide in like drawers, but there may be more or less than the number shown. To make them more secure against the escape of gas their outside ends are covered by slidin g doors H, which are arranged so as to slide down in grooves or guideways I. (See Figs. 1 and 4.) Each sliding cover 11 is provided with a handle, J, for moving it in or out.

K represents a perm an ent gas-holding chamber arranged within the gas-holding chamber L. (See Fig. 2.) Fruit that remains some time before it is bleached, so as to become colored, cannot be brought back to its original color; hence the quicker it is bleached the better it is for the color and also the flavor. The permanent gas-retaining chamber Kprevents the waste of the gas it retains when the damperM is opened. When the said damper is closed the gas is also retained in the chamber L. In this condition the gas penetrates the fruit more quickly, and does its work more effectually than it it were allowed to pass rapidly.

In operation, the fruit or other material to be bleached is put in through the opening or openings 0 in the tubes 0, which are inclined, soas to allow the material to slide or roll in freely; but they may be arranged horizontal, if desired. The material on its way in lifts the first curtain or door, N, which drops again when it passes. If any gas should escape while the curtain is lifted, it is drawn up through the flue O, and from thence up through the flue]? and into the smokestack Q, which is made high enough to produce a strong draft. After the material passes N it moves under the curtain or doorll, and any gas which may escape by reason of its being lifted is drawn up through the line 0, and from thence, through thrown over the edge of the boxes G.

going on, or to let it oft while the boxes G are being removed or put in, without interfering with the flues O, O, or P, which carry 011' any gas that may in any way pass under the curtains N N.

The curtains N N are preferably made of some suitable woven material, such as cotton or other cloth or other flexible material, and are suspended, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to swing loosely at the bottom but they may be made of sheet metal or wood, and may be suspended either by hinges at the top or by pivots at the sides, between the bottom and top; but 1 do not think it would answer so Well as the flexible curtains above mentioned.

In some cases it may be desirable to insert partitions in the lines P, so as to incline toward each other at the top, as shown by the dotted lines R in Fig. 3, for the purpose of causing the escaping gas to be drawn directly toward the smoke-stack.

S represents a deflecting device for preventin g the fruit or other material 'from being (See Fig. 2.)

l claim as my invention-- l. 111 a bleaching-machine, a chamber, D, for the bleaching material, and one or more boxes,

G, having slatted or perforated bottoms, for holding the material to be bleached and allowing the bleaching-gas to pass up through it, in

combination with an inlet-opening, G, a curtain, N, and a suitable flue, P, for conducting the gas that may escape from said curtain to the smoke-stack, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the bleaching-material apartment D, having a door, E, one or more boxes, G, provided with a slatted bottom, substantially as specified, and a gas-chamber, L, provided with a permanent. gas-holding chamber, K, and a damper, M, for the purposes specified.

3. In a bleaching-machine, the combination of one or more openings, 0, boxes G, and the deflecting device S, for the purposes set forth.

4. The combination of the inlet-openings G, curtains N N, and flues 0, O, and P, as and for the purposes described.

5. In a bleaching-machine, the gas-chamber L, terminating in the flue L, in combination with the gas-fines 0 0 and l P, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

' OSCAR F. TIFFANY.

WVitnesses:

JAMES SANes'rEn, A. J. SANGs'rER. 

